The Chattanooga Red Wolves SC made sure the debut of CHI Memorial Stadium last weekend was a victory for the home team.
For their second match at the East Ridge venue, they expect to have a new player who will bring Tennessee roots and Major League Soccer cachet to the roster.
The Red Wolves (1-0-1) face North Texas SC (1-1-0) in USL League One competition at 9 p.m. EDT Saturday at Globe Life Park in Arlington. Chattanooga's next home match is against Union Omaha at 5 p.m. next Wednesday, Aug. 12, and the club announced Thursday that Tanner Dieterich, a first-round draft pick of MLS expansion club Nashville SC, has been added to the roster via loan.
A loan means Dieterich is allowed to play temporarily for the Red Wolves, who will pay his salary as long as he is employed by the club. Bigger clubs often loan out their younger players who are not making the starting lineup to smaller teams so they can get valuable playing time and experience.
Dieterich played at Father Ryan High School in Nashville before going on to Clemson, where he was a three-year captain and logged 75 appearances for the Tigers. He was the 28th pick in the MLS SuperDraft this past January.
Nashville has played just twice in its inaugural season, losing its debut to visiting Atlanta United FC 2-1 on Feb. 29 and 1-0 on the road to the Portland Timbers on March 8 before the coronavirus pandemic shut down sports. Nashville was set to compete in the MLS is Back Tournament that started last month in Florida, then had to withdraw at the last minute due to multiple players testing positive for COVID-19.
That tournament's title match is next week, and MLS plans to continue the regular season at teams' home stadiums.
The addition of Dieterich will fill a need for depth at midfielder for the Red Wolves, who are coming off last Saturday's 1-0 win against FC Tucson. Chattanooga midfielder Greg Hurst, who scored in the 53rd minute, and defender Leo Folla earned spots on the USL League One team of the week for their performances in the victory.
"We have a long season in a short window," Red Wolves general manager Sean McDaniel said. "So being able to have a player on loan, particularly from Major League Soccer, is extremely helpful for us."
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenley3.